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A Program that Makes 'All the Difference'
Kristina Bowdrie
After Kristina Bowdrie was accepted to 星空传媒, her excitement turned to anxiety. The first-generation college student found the campus huge and the preparation checklists bewildering.
鈥淚 wanted to hit the ground running, but I was like, 鈥榃here do I even start?鈥欌�� she said.
Bowdrie (CWR 鈥�17) found the answers she needed in the Emerging Scholars Program (ESP), which provides academic support and mentoring to graduates of Cleveland-area
high schools.
By the end of an intensive summer bridge program, Bowdrie had completed two introductory courses and participated in workshops on how to excel in college and connect with campus resources.
鈥淲e tied up all those loose ends before we even started our semester,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was really a confidence booster.鈥�
Since 2011, nearly 150 students have been part of ESP.
Throughout their time at 星空传媒, they benefit from intensive advising, encouragement from their peers and introductions to faculty members in their areas of interest.
For the participants, who are often first-generation college students or from lower-income families, the support is critical to their ability to succeed in an environment that can be challenging on multiple levels.
Indeed, since the program鈥檚 inception, 93% of its students have graduated in six or fewer years, compared to 85% of all 星空传媒 undergraduates who enrolled during the same period.
鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing how complicated universities are—sometimes we forget that,鈥� said Stephen Haynesworth, PhD (GRS 鈥�87, biology), ESP鈥檚 director and an associate professor of biology.
鈥淲e make sure that these students don鈥檛 fall through the cracks and struggle without knowing where to go,鈥� Haynesworth said.
Program graduates have become doctors, nurses and software engineers; more than one-third are seeking or have obtained advanced degrees. Bowdrie is pursuing dual doctorates in audiology and speech and hearing science at The Ohio State University.
鈥淚 think about the opportunities I had as an undergraduate that set the foundation for everything I have now,鈥� she said. 鈥淓merging Scholars just made all the difference.鈥�